Vulnerable Strength
by chanyehun
Summary: Naruto, a politician and modern-day vampire, moves to a new city where he runs into a raven haired beauty. Only problem is, he's a jerk! What Naruto doesn't know, however, is the baggage that Sasuke carries. While attempting to make his own in the political world and get closer to Sasuke, is Naruto able to protect Sasuke from dark forces who are out for his blood? NaruSasu AU
1. Chapter 1

Vulnerable Strength

Naruto POV

The blinding light derived from the sun shone through the window of the train. Sitting alone, a man clad in orange scrolled through his phone, searching for directions to his new home.

Another hour, the man stepped off the train, scanning the area quickly.

"Is that the President's son?" he heard someone say.

"Naruto Uzumaki? Yes, I think it is! I would never mistake that combination of blond hair and blue eyes!"

"He's even more handsome in person" a third girl said.

"I know! Beauty and mystery, almost like a vampire" the second girl said.

"Are you kidding me? He has tan skin, he's a werewolf" the first girl said.

Naruto smiled to himself. Running his hand through his unruly hair, he looked at the three girls, smirked, and gave them a wink. He walked away, leaving the girls in a daze.

They weren't wrong. Naruto was of the supernatural kind. A vampire, not werewolf. Naruto was a new age vampire. Split into two categories: Irradiates and Degenerates.

Irradiates were vampires that came out mainly during the day. Blessed with the gifts from Apollo, Irradiates could wield a bow, use healing scriptures, and had the ability to control fire. Irradiates had sun kissed skin, hair as golden as the sun, and eyes as beautiful as the sky. They were what the supernatural society consider them kind vampires. Instead of blood, Irradiates take the energy of humans. Not taking years off their life, but only energy that can be recovered after one sleeps.

Like a coin, there was always another side.

Degenerates were the opposite of Irradiates. Degenerates could only come out at night. Degenerates are those who are blessed by Artemis. With the ability to shape shift and speak to animals, wield a bow, and control the water. Though Artemis leans more towards women, there are many males who were unable to come to the light and stayed to the night. Degenerates were pale, hair as white as the moon, and dark, soulless eyes. Staying in the shadows, beckoning humans to them. Stealing their life source, blood.

Walking west, Naruto looked at his phone once more to validate his sense of direction.

 _Bam!_

Holding his chin, Naruto realized something, _what was that taste?_ Looking down, Naruto saw the most beautiful person he has ever been in the presence of. A man with pale skin, raven hair, and dark eyes filled with something Naruto could not place.

"I am so sorry!" Naruto said offering his hand to the male.

The man glared at him and ignored the offending hand. Picking himself off the ground, the man continued on his way.

"Wait!" Naruto grabbed the mans upper arm. _He tastes so good, almost as good as ramen!_

"Don't touch me!" he screamed.

Naruto let go and held up both arms to show he meant no harm.

With a small huff, the man walked away quickly.

Naruto looked at his right hand. _That taste. What was that? I have never tasted something so delectable before_. Shaking his head, Naruto picked up his bags and left towards his new apartment.

"Ah! Home sweet home!" Naruto said as he flopped on the couch. Turning on his back, Naruto looked up at the ceiling.

 _I have never tasted anything like that. Whenever I feed off someone's energy, it always has tasted so bland. Why does his taste so delectable? I_ have _to find him!_

With renewed vigor, Naruto got off the couch and started to put his stuff away in drawers. _Can't start looking for him with my crap still in boxes._

A knock on the door stopped Naruto from organizing. Clicking a button on the screen next to the door showed a picture of a man carrying a box.

Opening the door, Naruto signed for the package and set it on the kitchen table.

"I thought everything was already here. I didn't order anything did I?" Naruto rotated the box. Folding his arms, Naruto rolled his eyes looked at the name, _Sasuke Uchiha, Apartment 356_. Sighing, Naruto picked up the box and put on his shoes.

Naruto walked out of his apartment and went towards Sasuke's apartment.

Naruto knocked on the door and waited. Three seconds later, nothing. He tried again. And again. But still nothing. Eye twitching, Naruto knocked harder. "Yo, Sasuke! Your package was delivered at my house accidentally! I have-"

"Just leave it on the mat" came a smooth voice.

Glaring at the speaker next to the door, Naruto spoke again. "Can't you come and get it? I would really like to meet my neighbor," he finished with a smile.

"No thank you, Mr. Personal Space."

"Excuse me?" Naruto said.

"No thank you, Mr. Personal Space."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto said annoyed.

"Did you really forget in the span of an hour, Dobe?"

 _Him! The person I ran into?_ "It's you!" Naruto pointed at the door. Naruto could feel the eye roll on the other side of the door.

"Yes, and now would you please leave the box on the mat and leave?"

"No."

"What?"

"I said no. I refuse to allow you to get this box with so much ease. When you are ready to be a decent human being, come to my apartment and I will give you the box." Naruto walked off, not before thinking, _this is perfect! I can meet him and maybe take some more of that delicious energy. So delectable. I could be full of it for days_.

Opening his apartment door, Naruto put the box down by the door. Taking off his shoes, Naruto restarted unpacking.

* * *

Sasuke POV

Today was just not his day. Sasuke stared at his computer trying to make sense of the data. There was no correlation between their newest product and the ones customers have purchased before.

Leaning back in his office chair, Sasuke put a hand over his eyes. If he did not have this done before midnight, his father was going to kill him.

Sasuke Uchiha is the Chief Marketing Officer at Visintel corp. A business that produces and sells technological advancements designed to push the limits of human innovation further.

Sasuke had been looking at this data for the past two days, but he was not able to figure out a good way to market the company's newest product.

 _Ring!_

Sasuke sat up straight and picked up his cell phone.

"This is Sasuke."

"Do you have the data sorted out yet?"

"I am sorry, sir. I will have it done by tonight."

Sasuke heard a sigh from the other line. "You better, or there will be dire consequences." The statement sent shivers down Sasuke's spine. "Filthy child" was the last thing Sasuke heard before the man disconnected the call.

Still hold the phone to his ear, Sasuke started to slightly shake. Sasuke looked at his hands, seeing nothing but filth on them.

Quickly standing up and opening his office door, Sasuke made his way to the bathroom.

Another five hours later, Sasuke walked out of the seventy-four-story building. Hands in his suit pockets, he made his way towards his apartment. Sasuke subconsciously dodged people so as to not make contact with them. Too lost in thought, Sasuke didn't notice the blond man walking straight towards him.

 _Bam!_

Sasuke fell down and held his forehead. Sasuke barely heard the apology from the man and when he saw a hand extended towards him, he ignored it and stood up, determined to go home and clean himself. Looking up at the man, Sasuke noticed the tanned skin, bright blond hair, and the beautiful blue eyes he could get lost in.

"Wait!" Sasuke felt a hand grab his upper arm.

"Don't touch me!" Sasuke yelled and yanked his arm away. He walked quickly towards his apartment, refusing to touch anyone else.

Sasuke made it back to his apartment, out of breath and shaking. Closing and locking the front door, Sasuke slid down to the ground and looked at his hands. Nothing was out of the ordinary, but nothing made Sasuke feel more out of control than what had happened only fifteen minutes ago.

Standing up, Sasuke walked to his bathroom and started the shower. Scrubbing his arms red, turning up the water heat, nothing could make him feel clean. Sasuke sighed and stepped out of the shower, dried himself off, and put on a black T-shirt and some jeans.

Sasuke sat at his desk and attempted to resume the work on the data.

About thirty minutes later, a knock on the door ruined Sasuke's concentration. Sasuke went back to his work, hoping the person would just leave. Regretfully, the person tried twice more. Annoyed, Sasuke got up and walked towards the door. "Yo, Sasuke! Your package was delivered at my house accidentally! I have-"

"Just leave it on the mat" Sasuke said coolly. Looking at the screen next to the door, Sasuke realized it was the man who he ran into only an hour ago.

"Can't you come and get it? I would really like to meet my neighbor," he finished with a smile.

"No thank you, Mr. Personal Space." Sasuke looked at the man through the tiny screen, enjoying the look of annoyance in the blond mans features.

"Excuse me?" Naruto said.

"No thank you, Mr. Personal Space."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto said annoyed.

"Did you really forget in the span of an hour, Dobe?"

"It's you!" The man rudely pointed at the door.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Yes, and now would you please leave the box on the mat and leave?" Sasuke did not want to meet this person face-to-face. Door-to-face was fine with him.

"No."

"What?" Sasuke's eye twitched.

"I said no. I refuse to allow you to get this box with so much ease. When you are ready to be a decent human being, come to my apartment and I will give you the box." The man walked off without a goodbye. He didn't leave the box, he just left with the request Sasuke come to his apartment and get it.

"That, that, Dobe!" Sasuke said in frustration. Running his hand through his raven hair, Sasuke walked back to this desk and resumed looking at the data.


	2. Chapter 2

Vulnerable Strength

Naruto POV

 _Goddamn him._ Naruto thought looking at the box near his front door; now becoming a pressuring weight on his shoulders. _That bastard. I'll show him! If he needs the box, he'll come and get it himself. But hell, did he taste good._

 _Thud!_

 _Ouch! Fuck! Now he's distracting me too! Che._

Box after box, Naruto unloaded all his junk into the wardrobe or into a closet. Finally, after five grueling hours, came a knock.

 _Hehe, that bastard finally gave in did he?_

Naruto walked towards the door and waited. In Naruto's mind, making the bastard neighbor wait a little longer seemed like a small gain of revenge for being such a jerk.

Another knock came. Naruto smirked to himself. "Who is it?" he said into the door system.

"It's me, jackass! Open the door!" came a muffled, outraged voice.

"Yeah, yeah" Naruto said to himself. On the other side, however, it was not the bastard neighbor which Naruto saw, but his best friend Kiba.

" 'Sup dude!" Kiba barged into Naruto's home and flopped onto the couch.

Glowering, Naruto made his way over to the living room and folded is arms over his broad chest.

"Thanks for all of your help" Naruto said sarcastically.

"Any time, bro." Kiba flipped onto his side and turned on the television.

Rolling his eyes, Naruto left to the kitchen to get them both a beer. "Seriously, dude. Where were you? I could have really used your help unpacking all this shit."

"But you did a great job! You didn't need my help." Kiba gave a feral smile. "Anyways, we all know you and I wouldn't have gotten shit done. Probably doing what we're doing right now instead" Kiba said as he took a swig of his beer.

Naruto leaned back into the chair to the side of the couch and placed his arms behind his head. "True."

After about twenty-five minutes, Kiba broke the silence and the peace. "By the way, Sakura is coming over" nonchalance pouring out of his mouth.

"What!" Naruto got up and started cleaning despite just moving in seven hours prior. "Why didn't you tell me? She's going to kill me if she sees I threw most of my junk in a closet or someplace it would fit!"

"You're problem man."

An aura of red surrounded Naruto. "If you don't help me, I'll tell Hinata about your twentieth birthday."

"You wouldn't dare."

Naruto grabbed his phone and held it next to his ear, already hearing the ring.

"Fine, fine, you win douche." Both Kiba and Naruto started to clean the house. Without even trying, the apartment was messy and both boys felt the rage of Sakura.

Sakura did not like the idea of sending Naruto and Kiba alone to move Naruto into his new place - knowing they would undoubtedly make it messy and unlivable. So, they made a bet where she would prank call anyone of their choosing five times at any given time. However, if she won, Kiba and Naruto would have to be at her beck and call for the next ten days.

Because Naruto and Kiba loved challenges, they quickly accepted, believing they would win. Now, as time went on, they started to get nervous. With Kiba being a police officer and Naruto being a political figure, neither had time to become Sakura's personal slave.

"Naruto, we don't have any cleaners! Shit, dude, this place is dusty! Do you have anything we can use to clean?"

"No, but we can go to the store and get some" Naruto said as he started to put his shoes on.

"You idiot! She's going to be here in fifteen minutes!"

Just then, there was a ring from the doorbell. "That better not be her" both said in unison.

Shakily going towards the door system, "hello?" Naruto hesitantly said.

"Open the door, dobe." Vein popping out, Naruto opened the door to see the raven-haired neighbor standing with his arms folded against his chest. Scanning up and down, Sasuke had on jeans and a plain black T-shirt. "What is with all this racket? I've been trying to work, but for some reason, your obnoxious voice keeps penetrating my house."

"Do you have any cleaning supplies?"

"Huh?"

"Do you have anything I can use to clean a whole house in ten minutes?" Naruto all but yelled.

"Yes. But why-"

Naruto cut him off, pushing him towards his house. "Go get them please! I'll explain after!"

Naruto watched Sasuke open the door and looked inside, it was modern, well-kept, and so, so clean! Naruto was about to walk in when Sasuke turned around. "Just wait here, I'll go get the things."

Naruto could not believe how clean the apartment was. Did he have a maid or something?

"Here." Sasuke handed him a small carrier with cleaning supplies and was about to close the door when Naruto grabbed the front of Sasuke's shirt and dragged him towards his apartment.

"What the hell are you doing, dobe! Let go!" Sasuke attempted to struggle and Naruto, being impatient, ran into the house and threw the cleaning supplies at Sasuke.

"Please help me clean this place in seven minutes! My life is depending on it!"

"And why should I?"

"Because…because…" At a loss for words, Naruto looked at the box near his front door. "If you help, I'll give you back your box!"

"What's stopping me from taking it back with me now?"

"I'll have parties every day at my house for a week." Naruto said.

Glaring, Sasuke put the cleaning supplies down and put on the apron and rubber gloves. "Fine. But give me the package afterwards, okay?"

"You got it!" Naruto said loudly.

 _Bang, bang, thud._

"Uhh… Naruto, I think I need a little help up here."

"Coming Kiba! Thank you so much, Sasuke!" Naruto said patting Sasuke's arm and running upstairs. _So delicious,_ Naruto thought, a shiver running down his spine.

"Okay Kiba, what-Oh my god!" Naruto walked more into the bedroom. "What happened?"

"Ugh, your closet attacked me."

"Well, you're going to have to act upon your revenge, we have five minutes and I don't know how fast Sasuke can clean. We have to hurry." Giving Kiba a hand up, Naruto and Kiba began putting everything back into the closet, in a more organized manner.

"Okay, let's go see if Sasuke needs our help." Naruto wiped his forehead and headed downstairs to see how far Sasuke was done. "Woah…" at a loss for words, which never happens, the living room, kitchen, and dining room were sparkling.

"How did he do that?" Kiba exclaimed.

Sasuke walked out of the downstairs bathroom with a small huff. "Took you two long enough."

"How the hell did you clean this place up so fast?"

"Years of practice. Now, can I have the package please" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah, sure." Handing him the package, Sasuke picked up his things and left without another word.

"Thank god you recruited him" Kiba said tiredly.

Both flopping on the couch, Naruto looked around once more. _I would never have been able to clean anything this good. Hell, I don't think Sakura could have either!_ Sighing in relief, Naruto closed his eyes until the doorbell rang.

Kiba and Naruto both sat up and looked at each other. "Oh god, she's here."

Hesitantly getting up from the couch, Naruto made his way to the door system. "He-hello?"

"It's me, Sakura! I brought some ramen and a bottle of wine as a house warming gift."

Smiling to himself, Naruto opened the door. "Hey Sakura!" he said giving her a friendly hug. She handed him the gifts and he gave a quick thanks and put them on the kitchen counter.

Being the gentleman he was raised to be, Naruto grabbed the back of her coat and put it on the coat rack next to the door.

"Wow, Naruto! I can't believe you were able to get this place so clean" she said in awe. "I don't think I could have gotten it this sparkling" she said walking towards the glass dining room table.

 _Thank the gods for Sasuke_ , Naruto silently prayed. "Thanks Sakura" he smiled handing her a beer.

They clinked their bottles together and took a drink. "I gotta hand it to you two, I didn't think you could do it."

"Well believe it, babe. We were able to do it" Kiba said slinging an arm over Sakura's shoulders.

"Whatever, Dog-breath." Sakura rolled her eyes. "Anyway, how do you like it so far, Naruto? Were you able to meet any of your neighbors?"

"Well, actually…" Naruto trailed off.

"Oh, someone you like perhaps?" Sakura leaned towards him more.

"N-n-no" Naruto stuttered.

"You totally do!"

"No!"

"Wait, what?" Kiba asked.

"Oh, please, you can't see the look in his eyes. I knew it from the moment I walked in" Sakura said smugly. "So, who is it! Tell us!"

"It's not like that" Naruto defended. "He just tastes good."

Both Kiba and Sakura knew about Naruto being a modern-day vampire. They were modern-day supernaturals as well. Kiba was a werewolf, hence the reason he could track down criminals within a day. On the other hand, Sakura was an elf. No, not small, but very gifted at healing. She was one of the best chief surgeons in all of Japan.

"Tastes good? Anything else you want to share with us" Kiba teased.

"He's a total jerk!"

"True, but he did-mmmff." Kiba's face then got stuffed with an apple Naruto so conveniently had in front of him.

"Did what?" Sakura asked.

"Uhh… he did say hello when I introduced Kiba and myself to him!" Naruto covered up.

"Uhuh." Sakura was suspicious.

"Well, should we move this party to the living room?" Naruto asked.

All walked over to the living room and sat on Naruto's couch. Turning on the television, Naruto flicked through channel after channel until he got to 99.9.

All settled into the couch, the three friends watched the show and drank their beers. By the time it was ten at night, Kiba and Sakura had to leave. Lee picked up his soon to be wife and was kind enough to drive Kiba home.

Leaning against the rail of the outside hallway, Naruto waved good-bye to his friends as he watched Lee drag Kiba down the stairs and into the car. It was a great night, with great friends, one he would never forget about.

Naruto sighed in contentment. Putting his hands in his pockets, Naruto leaned his back against the railing and looked up at the stars. Though there was some light pollution, stars could still be seen.

Looking over to his right, Naruto looked at the door his neighbor. Naruto smiled softly to himself. _That bastard_. Naruto shook his head and was about to start walking to his door, but something stopped him.

Naruto looked down at his hand, staring intensely at the offending limb, and realized something. When Naruto patted Sasuke's arm, did he flinch when Naruto touched him? The adrenaline was gone, he didn't have to worry about Sakura or Kiba, but something wasn't right. It was bugging him, but Naruto put it in the corner of his mind. _I'm certain he flinched when I touched him. Did I do something wrong?_ Face furrowing in confusion, Naruto put his hand on the doorknob.

Taking one last look at Sasuke's front door, Naruto thought, _nah, it's probably something else_.

With a new look of determination, Naruto opened the door to his, now clean, apartment and closed the door on the first day.

* * *

 **Hey everyone! I have decided I am going to update every other week because I am taking summer session at University and have my senior thesis and such to do this coming up year. If I do not update when I am supposed to, I apologize in advance!**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Best,**

 **chanyehun**


	3. Chapter 3

Vulnerable Strength

* * *

Sasuke POV

"Really? Just get the fucking work done," he said. A sigh could be heard from the other end of the receiver.

"Geez, you're such a slave driver" Suigetsu said.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and hung up, leaning back into his plush office chair.

Nothing could go right today. First, his father called him into the office early in the morning, then Sasuke got lectured, for what felt like ten days, on his report that was half an hour past midnight.

 _Nothing but perfection_ Sasuke thought.

"Sasuke-kun!" a shrill voice entered his ears. "I have the documents you asked for."

Sasuke huffed. "Thank you, Karin."

"No problem," she said winking.

After she left, Sasuke went straight to work on the new line of investors and who would be the most beneficial to the company. Instead of playing out the part for the investors, they played for the company, and more explicitly, Fugaku.

Fugaku was a stern man. Straight-laced, no beating around the bush, typical tight-tie white-collared guy. The only problem, if one strayed out of what he defined as the line, they were in for an awakening of a life-time.

 _"Sasuke! Get your ass in here!" Fugaku yelled from his office._

 _Peering from his room, Sasuke started to hesitantly walk towards the man's office._

 _"Yes, father?" Sasuke looked up._

 _Sasuke watched him take another swig of his scotch before he said, "I saw your report card today. And do you want to know what I saw?"_

 _Sasuke began to shake slightly. "Yes, sir."_

 _"Well," he turned around. "What do you have to say for yourself?" he all but screamed, slamming his glass on the mahogany desk._

 _Flinching, Sasuke looked at the ground, trying not to stare into his father's eyes. "I'm sorry, sir. I will do better next time."_

 _"You know Uchiha strive for nothing less than perfection!" the man said walking in front of Sasuke._

 _The shadow eclipsed Sasuke's small frame. "I promise, it won't happen again." It wasn't his fault. Both him and his partner were too sick to present their project on the history of the Cold War. They had to make the project, a week-long process, in one night - in addition to a hard-ass teacher who would not let them make it up._

 _"Well regardless, I'm going to make sure this does not happen again."_

 _There was a click._

 _A gasp._

 _"Please, no! I'll be better! I swear! I'm sorry! It won't happen ever again!" Tears were streaming down his face by this point._

 _"Turn around," he instructed in a calm voice. Sasuke did as he was told and prepared himself. "You're brother never would have done this."_

 _Crack!_

Sasuke gasped and looked around his office. It felt hot. He looked at his hands, shaking. Residual images flashed through his head of other times as well.

 _I have to get clean. I have to get clean. Dirty. Dirty. So dirty. Filthy! I'm filthy!_ Sasuke ran into the en suite bathroom. Turning the water on hot, Sasuke scrubbed his hands furiously, causing the skin to go red and raw.

Finally done, Sasuke looked into the mirror, now fogged up from the heat of the running water. Taking a deep breath, Sasuke grabbed one of the towels and walked out of the bathroom.

 _Ring_.

Sasuke glanced at the phone. Sighing, he tossed the towel on his desk.

"Hello?"

It was a long, strenuous day. The call from his father left nothing but self-loathing and guilt running through his system.

Instead of walking home like he normally would, Sasuke decided he wanted to take the subway. Though he lived a short forty-five minute walk, Sasuke just wanted to get home.

10 stops later, Sasuke got off and walked towards his complex.

Walking up two flights of stairs, Sasuke halted. Looking up, he saw his neighbor. _Naruto, wasn't it?_ It seemed that Naruto had not noticed him yet, so being the socially awkward person that he was, he decided look down and walk up the stairs quicker than before.

"Hey, Sasuke" Naruto said about five stairs above his neighbor.

Again, like the socially awkward person he was, Sasuke, instead of saying 'hello' back, started walking up the stairs faster, and two at a time. One little problem though, by the time he past Naruto, his foot slipped.

Sasuke braced himself for a hard fall, but Naruto grabbed him by the upper chest, arms firmly planted by his side.

"Are you okay?" Naruto quickly said.

A blush adorned Sasuke's cheeks. "I-I…." Sasuke stammered. Being in this close proximity, Sasuke could not help but notice the feel of Naruto's strong arms, holding him, almost, protectively.

Gaining back his composure, Sasuke huffed. "Did you not learn your lesson, Mr. Personal Space?"

Naruto's eyebrow twitched. "Well, excuse me for helping a bastard like you." Sasuke watched as he folded his arms across his broad chest. "-for saving you."

Sasuke realized he missed everything this blonde person was saying. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Naruto's eyes widened slightly. "Umm… I said 'you're welcome for saving you'."

"I see." Sasuke looked down. His coat was a mess, his hair was disheveled, and his face was flushed. "T-thanks."

 _Cute_ , Naruto thought.

Not wanting to embarrass himself more, Sasuke ran up the stairs and into this apartment.

Sliding down the door, Sasuke hugged his knees to his chest.

 _I can't get close_. Sasuke buried his head into his knees, curling his body tighter. _I'm not allowed. I'll get him dirty._

 _At the age of five, Sasuke already knew the pains of how he would grow up. Father not there, mother always gone for cases, and a brother, perfect in every way._

 _At the age of seven, Sasuke knew he was never going to catch up to his brother, no matter how hard he tried._

 _At the age of ten, his mother left them. His father became more distant and his brother ignored his entire existence. That was also the age, when he fully realized how much his father hated him._

 _"It's all your fault," Fugaku hissed. "She left because of you." Sasuke was curled in a ball, covering his ears to block out the sound of his father's harsh words. "You're a filthy child. Unworthy of love." Fugaku forced Sasuke to look up by his hair._

 _"We should get you clean." The smell of alcohol on his father's breath was nauseating._

 _"Wha-what do you mean?" Sasuke asked._

 _A smirk bled its way onto Fugaku's drunken face. "You'll see."_

 _Fugaku walked outside quickly, still having his hand in his son's raven hair._

 _"Please father, where are we going? Please, it hurts," Sasuke whimpered._

 _Fugaku stopped in front of the backyard fountain._

 _"Father," Sasuke pleaded._

 _"You have to get clean for your mother, you_ filthy _child."_

 _All Sasuke could comprehend was the rushing in his ears as his head was submerged in water. Sasuke screamed. His body fighting off the bigger man but to no avail. The dizziness of his father pulling him out of the water and pushing him back in, hissing words one should never say to their child._

 _It seemed to go on forever. Sasuke's body was getting weaker, his struggling getting slower, his breathing all but stopping. Closing his eyes, Sasuke knew he wanted to die, wanted it to be over._

 _But by some sin that he committed, his brother was home earlier than expected and pulled his father off him._

 _Everything was drowning in Sasuke's ears. Nothing was making sense. He heard muffled sounds of his father and brother arguing, but nothing was registering. It all faded to black._

 _Sasuke awoke the next morning in his bed._ "It was all a dream," _Sasuke thought to himself. Sighing in relief, he sat up in bed, only to collapse from a sudden bout of faintness._

 _His eyes widened. Sasuke pulled up his night shirt and looked at his stomach. Marred with bruises from fists and multiple kicks. It finally registered._ "It wasn't a dream."

 _The day continued without any mentions of what happened the previous night. Itachi soon left for America and the only people left in the house were him and Fugaku._

 _At this point, Sasuke refused to call Fugaku his father unless in a social setting. Nothing the man had done was out of love. Nothing Sasuke_ did _could ever please his father. He was nothing. A dirty child that needed to be cleaned._

 _Though his father attempted to kill him, Sasuke realized that the only way to potentially gain the love and affection he desires from his father is to become as clean as he could._

 _The little seed Fugaku planted in his young son's mind flourished in an atmosphere of doubt and self-hate. As time went on, the seed grew into so much more than anyone would have imagined._

Sasuke picked himself up off the floor after having decided to stop wallowing in self-pity. The past was the past and he was going to keep it that way.

Shaking his head, Sasuke went to the bathroom to take a quick shower and wash away the days filth. Stripping down to nothing, he got in the shower. He turned the water to warm and began washing his hair. The only problem, he realized, no matter how times he washed himself, he _never_ felt clean - even going as far to rub his skin raw.

The quick shower turned into an hour shower. Drying his body off skillfully, Sasuke walked into the kitchen and began preparing his dinner. A salad with a basic vinaigrette and tomatoes.

Sasuke sat in front of his computer and began preparing his proposal for his father. _The customers like the style and ease of use for the ViStellar 2.0 laptop, but they hated the new upgrades compared to the first generation._ The more Sasuke thought about the project, the easier the proposal became.

Three more hours and Sasuke finally finished everything his father asked of him for this case - even four hours before it was due!

Sighing in relief, Sasuke looked it over one more time. Nerves ate at him. When Sasuke proposed his plan last year, his father showed his displeasure and Sasuke from then on decided to do everything in his power to not have that happen again.

Sending all the necessary documents to his father, Sasuke shutdown his computer and walked over to the kitchen.

Though everything in his apartment was immaculate, Sasuke still decided to clean. After another half-hour, it was around 8:30 and the whole place was even cleaner than anyone would believe possible.

Sasuke put all of the cleaning supplies away. He looked over at the trash can and sighed. He forgot that one thing.

The trash was not even half-way full, but the smell got to him.

Sasuke put his gloves and apron back on. He quickly tied the garbage up and walked towards the trash on the first floor of the complex.

He held the garbage away from his body as he walked down the three flights of stairs. Opening the waste bin, Sasuke threw the offending bag into its rightful place with an annoyed huff.

Sasuke felt a presence. Slowly turning to his left, Sasuke was met with blue-eyes staring at him on the other end of the main hall.

"You really don't like the garbage do you," the blonde said.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and walked towards the staircase when laughter erupted on the right of him.

"Hahahaha!" Naruto was almost bent over.

"What's so funny, dobe?" Sasuke snapped.

"You know - haha - you don't _have_ to wear that to take out the trash! I mean, a pink apron, gloves, and a face mask? You remind me of my mom - haha." Naruto could not stop the fit of laughter exploding from him. In all his years, he has never met a guy that acted like Sasuke. "Not to be rude or anything, but do you not like trash? Like, uncleanliness?"

Sasuke flushed. "N-no, it's n-no-o-t that. I just cooked something that was smelly and I was cleaning anyways s-so…" Sasuke trailed off as he looked to the side.

Without knowing, Naruto had small smile on his face as he made his way towards Sasuke.

"No, I did not mean anything by it. I was just curious. Anyways, I wanted to thank you properly for helping me clean my apartment before Sakura came over."

"Oh, it was nothing," Sasuke said. "I have to get going. Still have some work to do."

"Ah, I see," Naruto said a little down.

Sasuke nodded with finality and all but ran up the stairs, not wanting to fall _again_ , and went inside his apartment.

Letting out the breath he did not know he was holding, Sasuke put away his cleaning supplies and walked over to his desk.

There was a small light blinking at him from his phone. Sasuke picked it up and unlocked it. He realized he had two missed calls from his brother and a missed call from his _father_.

Anxiety flashed through Sasuke. _He must have read the documents over already._ Sasuke didn't know who he should call first. Itachi _never_ called him unless it was important. On the other hand, Sasuke should not keep his father waiting.

Sasuke hovered over Itachi's name knowing fully well that his father cannot get mad at him for calling his _perfect son_ and tending to his needs - he was the future CEO of Visintel.

Sasuke plopped in his desk chair and pressed his finger to the phone.

"Hello?" a gruff voice said on the other line.

"Hello, father."

* * *

 **Hey everyone! Thank you for your reviews! I know that Sasuke's past is miserable, but it does have a bit of my past in it (please do not feel sorry for me). As for Sasuke being a supernatural being, you will just have to wait and find out! I made an outline for all the chapters I am going to do and I believe it is around chapter 20 that I am going to reveal if Sasuke is a human being or not. Also, please PM me if you have any ideas for what I should write about!**

 **Best,**

 **Chanyehun**


	4. Chapter 4

Vulnerable Strength

Chapter 4

Naruto POV

Birds were chirping, the sun was shining, Naruto believed it was going to be a great day to meet people. He stretched his arms high above his head and sighed in contentment.

Still drowsy from sleep, Naruto dragged his body out of bed and grabbed his towel hanging on the back of his chair. The blond turned the water on cold to wake himself up; however, it did not work. Instead, after getting out of the shower, Naruto slapped both cheeks, hard.

Now finally awake and ready for the day, Naruto smiled to himself as he walked to the closet. _I have to make a good impression._ Naruto hmmed to himself. _Bah! Who am I kidding? Everyone loves me anyways! That's what my dad always says._ A sly grin appeared on his face.

Regardless, Naruto grabbed a dark blue button-up shirt with dark brown slacks. As a child, Naruto hated wearing anything that felt so constricting. Choosing to wear shorts and a T-shirt, sometimes forgetting the shirt completely.

The last time he wore shorts and a T-shirt to a get-together with his father…Naruto shuddered at the thought of it.

"So hungry," Naruto said to nobody. Though he was an Irradiate (vampires who took the energy of others), he could still eat regular human food. However, nothing was more satisfying to a vampire's hunger than energy.

Naruto walked downstairs to the pristine white kitchen. _Damn, that Sasuke did an amazing job,_ Naruto admitted reluctantly. In Naruto's eyes, Sasuke was still a bastard. _A delicious tasting bastard_ , he added.

Before Naruto knew it, his thoughts went back to yesterday. When Sasuke fell, Naruto's heart almost stopped. Without thinking, he had grabbed the ravenette and pulled him against his chest. The contact between Sasuke and Naruto gave the vampire a small taste of the embarrassed Uchiha.

 _Ah! He even blushed!_ Naruto has never met anyone like this person before. His mannerisms and personality clash, but Naruto was beginning to fall head over heels for this person. If not for a relationship then definitely as a food source.

Naruto looked at his watch. "I'm going to be late!" The blond politician slipped on his shoes and raced out of the apartment.

Naruto skipped stairs and walked into the crowd towards the subway.

In Japan, most people were on the shorter side and had dark, dark hair. Naruto would be one of the easiest people to find. With his height of 1.9 meters (6'2"), Naruto was towering over everyone else.

Continuing on his way, Naruto gave small waves and smiles to everyone who caught his blue eyes. Girls gushed at the sight of him, men nodded in approval, and children looked at him in amazement. Japanese features except for the hair and eyes, Naruto seemed like a celebrity. _I kind of am._ Since Naruto's father, Minato Namikaze, was the Prime Minister of Japan, most people knew of the family and of the prominent son.

Naruto stopped walking and looked down at the pavement. His eyes clouded over and he tightened his fists. _I don't have time for this now,_ he thought and continued to the subway.

 _At the age of five, Naruto had an older brother, Kyuubi. He had his mother's red hair and his father's personality. Kyuubi was seven years older than him and at that time their father was beginning his political career._

 _Both Naruto and Kyuubi were privately tutored at home by a man named Iruka Umino. Despite his unease of teaching both children, first time teacher, Iruka did an amazing job._

 _At the age of seven, Naruto began to throw tantrums. Not wanting to learn at home. He wanted to be a normal kid with a normal life. He wanted to make friends that were his age and play outside._

 _"No. I don't want you and your older brother to go to school with a bunch of people. You are much safer here. I would rather you go upstairs and begin the homework Iruka-sensei gave you." Minato had to put his foot down. It had been months since this began. Everyday Naruto would go ask his father and it would be the same answer._

 _Naruto no longer knew what to do except scream. "I hate you! I hate how you think you can run_ my _life when I never wanted this for me! I want to go to school and play with kids my age! I don't need to be coddled, I don't need to be different, and I especially don't need_ you! _" After the outburst, Naruto ran upstairs and slammed his door shut._

 _Minato rubbed his temples and plopped in the living room chair._

 _"Honey," Kushina placed her arms on her husband's shoulders. "This has been going on for months. I think we should just let him go. You went to a private school and did just fine. You didn't get hurt, you have a good career. Kyuubi also wants to go, but he has never expressed his opinion to you."_

 _"I know," Minato said in understanding. "But times have changed from then, Kushina. I have been getting emails from unknown sources_ threatening _our sons' lives. If they go out in public every day, for almost ten hours each day, I can't help but be worried."_

 _"Please, honey, just think about it."_

 _With a sigh of defeat, Minato agreed. One week later and Naruto was enrolled in Konoha Academy._

 _Naruto looked around the school in awe. It was everything he imagined. The entrance was clean, the shoe lockers were small, but the best part, everyone was around the same age as him! Every student wore the same style of clothes (blue suit jacket with either a skirt or a pair of slacks). Everything was perfect._

 _Naruto walked into the school and put his outside shoes in his locker. Putting on his white inside shoes, Naruto swung his bag over his shoulder and turned around._

 _Naruto walked up the stairs to class 2-F. Naruto was a little nervous, but determined to make this the best first day any one has ever had, Naruto opened the door and walked in._

 _It was noon. Half of the day had already gone by and being the new student had its perks. Many guys wanted to shake his hand or slap his back. Girls would grab his hand and start flirting with him. Which at seven or eight was an amazing feat._

 _Everyone grabbed their bento boxes and ate, but because of all the physical contact he was getting, Naruto didn't feel the need to eat._

 _"Naruto-kun," a girl said. "Aren't you going to eat? If you want, I can share my lunch with you." The girl was blushing._

 _Giving his best smile, Naruto politely declined and instead got up._

 _Having only gotten to see the school at the beginning of the day, Naruto decided to walk around the building to get a general idea of the layout._

 _So far, his teachers were nice and his classmates were friendly, but there was something missing to make this the best first day anyone has ever had._

 _Continuing down the hallway, Naruto stopped in front of class 2-A. Peering inside the classroom, Naruto glanced at all of the bodies that filled up the chairs._

 _In the middle of the window row, there was a boy about Naruto's age who was just looking outside. He had a pale complexion in contrast to his dark hair._ Turn around, _Naruto thought._ I want to see your face _, he pleaded. The kid straightened up, almost like he could sense someone looking at him. He had a tense back and slowly started to-._

 _"Hey, Naruto! Whatcha doin'?" some kid yelled in his face, blocking his vision._

 _Naruto jumped back and glared at the newcomer. "And who the hell are you?" Naruto said rudely._ So close _, Naruto only wanted to see the guys face._

 _Inconspicuously, Naruto tried to see around this guy who had canine like teeth. "I'm Kiba! I was sent by Sakura Haruno to show you around school."_

 _"Yeah, well I don't need anyone, thanks" Naruto said attempting to still look around this Kiba._

 _"Come on! You don't know your way around, let me show you after classes today!" Kiba swung an arm around Naruto's shoulders and bent him down. "Anyways, what are you doing in front of classroom 2-A?"_

 _Naruto shoved the arm off his shoulder._ He doesn't taste that good _, Naruto observed. "I was just walking around and wanted to see the other classrooms in our year. Why? What's the big deal?"_

 _"Oh, nothing. I just didn't think you'd be interested in_ those _types of people. They're the top of our grade. I heard they're learning at year 5," Kiba whispered._

 _"What?" Naruto yelled._

 _"Shh," Kiba said grabbing his shoulder's again. "They're not supposed to, but this year's 2_ _nd_ _years are too smart for this curriculum, but this school doesn't allow them to skip grades." Kiba mumbled some more things, but all that came to a screeching halt when 2-A's classroom door opened._

 _"Will you two please shut up and go back to your classroom? You're annoying." Naruto looked at this class 2-A person._

Pale skin, dark hair. _Naruto looked around this person._ No one sitting in that other guys spot… Is this the guy?

 _"Heh, sorry about that. We were just on our way_." Yep, he's definitely the guy. Man, he's beautiful. _"Hey, my names Naruto. I'm from class 2-F. I know you're in class 2-A, but what's your name?"_

 _The pale kid looked at Naruto's hand. He huffed and turned away._

 _Naruto's eye twitched._ Beautiful, but an ass! _"Listen here, teme! I don't know what your problem is, but I only wanted to say 'hello.'" Naruto glared at the dark-haired child._

 _"Hn." Next thing Naruto knew, the boy walked back into his classroom._

 _"Teme!" Naruto called after him._

 _The bell rang and Kiba grabbed Naruto's upper arm._

 _"Dude, class is going to start in a minute. Let's go." Kiba dragged Naruto to class 2-F._

 _"What's his problem?"_

 _"Since your new here, you won't know, but he name is Sasuke Uchiha. He's the smartest kid in our year. Gets almost perfect on every test we take. I heard he has an older brother. His brother is like twelve and is already like planning to take the high school entrance exam."_

 _"Damn."_

* * *

 **Three years later**

 _It was Naruto's last year at the academy and he was excited to go to Konoha Middle._

 _Throughout these last years, Naruto has been determined to get into the A track. That bastard Uchiha would not get the best of him. But test after test, Naruto would come short of ever moving into that class. This last year, Naruto was finally in class 5-B; however, he really wanted to be with that bastard._

 _Every day both children would get together and compete with sports. Though Naruto was great at sports, Sasuke beat him at almost every type of activity. Nothing could stand in his way._

 _Despite Naruto trying his best, Sasuke would beat him in every exam he took. In Konoha Academy, academics were everything. It was the first step into getting into one of Japans most renowned private institutions, Konoha University._

 _Regardless, Naruto was getting frustrated and had to voice it to someone._

 _"Now Naruto, I don't think it's that big of a deal. I am impressed that you moved up so quickly in these past three years! I am so proud of you honey," Kushina said looking in the rearview mirror._

 _"Yeah! You finally put that big head of yours to good use." Kyuubi shoved his brother's head to the side. "Dad's happy, too. Can't say I'm not impressed," Kyuubi said with a grin._

 _"Thanks," Naruto grumbled. "But he's such an ass!"_

 _"Naruto!" Kushina scolded._

 _"What? He is! I can't stand that arrogant smirk of his and the way he treats everyone. I hate him," Naruto said with finality._

 _Kushina sighed from the front seat as she pulled up to a red light. "Honey, it's fine. You just keep doing what you're doing and it will all be fine."_

 _Naruto folded his arms across his chest. "Just put some glue on his seat," Kyuubi said with a shrug._

 _"Kyuubi!" Kushina was getting tired of scolding the two. She sighed heavily. "Naruto, why don't you try getting to know him instead of competing against him all the time."_

 _Naruto looked out the window._

 _"Plus, you lose more of the competitions than you win." Naruto kicked the passenger seat his brother was sitting in._

 _The car started moving again._

 _"So! Who cares! I need to beat him at something! He needs to be taken off his high-horse."_

 _"Is someone being a baby?"_

 _"I am not being a baby, Kyuubi."_

 _"Baby! Baby! Baby!"_

 _"Shut up!" Naruto unbuckled his seatbelt and started pulling his elder brothers red hair._

 _"Naruto, stop pulling your brother's hair! Kyuubi, stop teasing your brother." Nothing Kushina said would stop the two boys from fighting. "You two are distracting me from my driving," she said as she turned her head to hit them both._

 _In an instant, everything went wrong._

 _The light turned red as she turned to look at them. She didn't stop the car. A semi-truck was crossing the intersection and hit the front of the car near where Kushina was._

 _Sirens blared throughout half of the city. Cars stopped, people got out to call emergency, and others pulled out their phones to record and take pictures of what just occurred._

 _Days later, Naruto got out of the hospital. He remembered nothing. Then as time passed, he remembered_ almost _everything. He remembered Kiba, remembered school, but nothing of the raven-haired boy._

It was the end of the day for Naruto. He was bone tired. Everything his father made him do made no sense! Backwards thinking. That's what it was.

'Make sure to read over these policies for education and social-welfare,' Minato said with a smile. 'Sign all of the policies that you believe to be of importance, okay?'

There was a reason they called Minato The Lightening Flash. It was because when he was needed for things that were tedious and of difficult intellectual prowess, he would flash _away_ from the work.

A picture of his father flashed the screens of the television store he passed. Naruto stopped to look at it. A woman claiming Minato to be a hardworking and understanding Prime Minister. Glaring, Naruto felt his eyes twitch. "Hardworking and understanding my ass. Che."

Naruto walked to his apartment and went up the stairs. Without much thought, Naruto walked towards the door. The only thing, he walked towards Sasuke's door. He stood there. Waiting for something and nothing.

Naruto wanted to talk to Sasuke. There was something about him that was familiar, but Naruto could not put a finger on it.

Sighing, Naruto went back to his apartment to start dinner.


	5. Chapter 5

Vulnerable Strength

Chapter 5

Naruto POV

A smile plastered on his face, a hop in his step, Naruto was on cloud 9. Nothing could ruin his day. What was the reason? Naruto finally got a steady job! Yes, it was an internship, yes it was in politics, and yes, yes it under the supervision of his father.

Without acknowledging the dark dreary day that it was, Naruto walked into the office. _So hungry_ , he thought. Naruto looked around the office and decided to talk up the two female interns staring at him. He put his hands in his pockets and smirked. The blonde walked over to the women and shook their hands.

 _Tasty, but not as good as him._ Naruto slung an arm over the brunette and the red-headed females. He still had a grin and was absorbing the energy, but something was off. Naruto did not take a lot, nor did he take too little. Once the conversation was over, he went to his office and plopped in the chair.

Naruto leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He dreamt of what he would implement as Prime Minister of Japan and then onto what his life would look like. It started off with the outline of his house, how many bedrooms, where it would be in the urban area. Naruto would have two kids, a dog, maybe a cat. He didn't know.

He stood in front of the imaginary house with one hand placed on a child's shoulder, a person standing next to him holding his other child. The odd thing about this sight was neither his spouse or his children had faces.

Naruto knew he would be unable to see the children's faces without the other, so, he focused on the face. His eyes were still closed, but his eyebrows furrowed.

His mind's eye attempted to analyze the person next to him. It was a slow process. The person was thin, not too thin, but Naruto could probably almost put his hands around the waist. The person was wearing a dark blue shirt that contrasted with the milky-white skin. A slender neck, smiling pink lips, small nose. This was perfect!

Naruto scanned up higher to high cheekbones, higher, and higher-

 _Knock, knock!_

Naruto flinched so horribly that he fell backwards out of his chair.

"Naruto?" Kiba entered the office. "Naruto? Huh?" Kiba could not find him. He walked into the office and looked behind the desk to see the blonde idiot rubbing his head.

"Yo, Kiba!" Naruto jumped up and brushed his suit.

Kiba sighed and rolled his eyes. Landing a hand on the blonde's shoulders, he handed him twenty files he was holding. "Have these done by today."

"Okay, I will." Naruto placed the workload on his desk. He walked over to the cabinet near the desk. "Here," he said as he tossed Kiba a water bottle.

"Thanks," the werewolf said as he took a drink. "Ah!" _Idiot. Him and his Voss water._ "Anyways, I need you to read over these documents _carefully_ and sign them. As said by your father."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Naruto opened a folder and began reading. Something about land a tech company considered buying.

Kiba walked towards the door. "Also, who were you thinking about?"

"What makes you think I was thinking about something" he said dismissively.

"It was him!"

"Huh?" Naruto looked up from what he was reading.

"You _were_ thinking of him! The angle sent from heaven above." Kiba grinned, his canine teeth showing.

"How do you know I'm thinking of him?"

"Because I'm no idiot." Kiba gave him a kissy face before he slammed to door.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Whatever," Naruto sighed and went back to work.

After about an hour, Naruto finished five out of the twenty. He looked to his right and glanced at the picture of his family before the tragedy. Naruto looked at his mother, Kushina, and his brother, Kyuubi. A small smile graced his lips. "I miss you guys."

 _The beeping noises annoyed him. His head was swimming, his body hurt. All he wanted was the noise to stop. Frustration grew inside him. Blackness clouded his vision._

 _"Naruto, please, please wake-up," a voice said. "I don't know what I would do if I lost you too." The voice was familiar, but it was sad. Naruto didn't know what to do. He was so tired, he wanted to sleep._

 _"Naruto," a new voice. "Don't go." Someone grabbed his hand. Because he was so tired, he started to siphon the energy the person was giving._

 _Naruto was trapped in his mind. He was so hungry._

 _"Naruto?" the second voice said. Naruto started to see light. A small light that drove needles into his eyes. "Naruto, are you awake?"_

 _"Naruto!" the first voice said. It was his father. Naruto's eyes opened a little more._ So hungry. _Naruto could make out the shapes near him. "Naruto? Naruto! Stop!"_

 _Naruto was so hungry. He couldn't do what the voice said. He was exhausted and hungry. But something was giving him energy to wake-up. It tasted_ so _good!_

 _Minato could not release Naruto's grip. If he did, Naruto would grab on tighter and maybe go rogue until he's had his fill. The child was going limp near the bed. He didn't know what to do._

 _"Naruto! Let go! Please, your killing him!"_

 _Naruto couldn't make out most of what his father was telling him, but he understood_ 'killing,' _so he finally let go and went back down into a deep slumber._

It was finally the end of the work day and Naruto could go home and relax. Naruto walked up the stairs, hoping to catch a sight of the ravenette, but no, he was gone still.

Naruto walked into his apartment and took off his shoes. Loosening his tie and throwing his suit jacket and briefcase on the couch.

Sighing, Naruto threw himself on his bed and laid on his back.

 _So hungry!_ Naruto rolled over on his bed. The reds in his eyes were noticeable and the clear exhaustion on his face would bake the un-dead ashamed. Despite shaking hands with almost everyone in the city, Naruto did not feel satisfied until he tasted the ravenette.

A sigh in frustration. _Goddamn it, teme!_ Naruto finally understood. _Is he the only one I can taste?!_ Naruto's eye twitched. As such, Naruto flailed around like a fish.

He didn't know what to do. He was so hungry, but he would not go and randomly knock on Sasuke's door just to get a fill of energy. _Besides,_ he thought _, Sasuke doesn't like people touching him, it seems._

Naruto's phone rang. He rolled over again and put the offending machine to his ears.

"Hello? Hey, dad! What? A dinner? With who!?"

 _"You know, the file that you read with the tech company that wanted to expand to take-over the old-school building."_

"Yep, that." Naruto laughed nervously.

 _"You read it, didn't you?"_

"Yes, I did. Anyways, what about them?"

 _"Well, they want to invite us to a dinner party the company is having. To build relations, I guess. The family wants to support the Namikaze-Uzumaki platform. They'll be discussing what they want to do with the new land acquisition."_

"Okay, I guess. What day?"

 _"Tomorrow night at 7:30. Don't forget to wear a suit!"_ Naruto could almost feel the smile on his father's face.

"Fine, fine. I gotta go, dad. I have some work to do."

 _"Okay, son. Goodbye."_

"'Kay, bye." Naruto hung up the phone and turned onto his left-side. Not even ten minutes later, snoring came from his room.

* * *

Sasuke POV

It was late. Almost midnight and Sasuke still wasn't done. Visintel was again launching a new hard drive, but the focus groups weren't giving him any good data in how to market the tech.

Sasuke slammed his head on his desk. Nothing he was doing on the project his father assigned him was right. _I don't understand what I'm doing wrong._ He took his glasses off and set them on his desk.

The screen light on his face showed his frustration. He ran his hand through his hair.

A buzz sounded in the silence.

 _You're needed tomorrow at 7:30. Wear a suit_

 _~I_

Sasuke sighed. His brother knew his father was working him to his grave. Long days and long nights were taking their toll on his body and mind. His father was becoming more demanding and Suigetsu was getting weird.

Suigetsu was already a weird person, with him always having an uncontrollable thirst. No, it was not his blood sugar causing this either. He would drink a gallon of water every three hours. And if that was not enough, there were thousands of occurrences of him swimming in the company's pool.

Whatever the case, Sasuke wanted a break. He rubbed the temples on his head, trying to calm his nerves. Sasuke knew his father would want to see him tomorrow to discuss the event tomorrow. Itachi _never_ texted Sasuke unless it had something to do with father. Hence the thoughts of distress coming into his mind.

Thoughts of what he did wrong in the past month came up to haunt him. Nothing too terrible, but Fugaku was not impressed. The data being a day late, the documents and contracts missing a small point, and other miniscule things no one would get punished for.

The last time he called his father was almost a week ago when he finished the other project.

Sasuke cracked his neck. His stress was getting out of control. Migraines were a common occurrence for him, but he did not want one now while he is trying to finish the report.

The house was spotless, but Sasuke felt the need to clean. He could tell something was off in his house. There had to be. He felt so dirty and knew his house and body needed cleaning.

Sasuke was uncharacteristically more nervous than he had ever been. There was something Sasuke did in his past that made him unclean. Filthy. But what was it?

Attempting to ignore the voice in his head, Sasuke began cleaning the house instead of working on the data.

His apartment was small. The first floor held a kitchen and dining room to the right of the entrance and a half-bathroom and living room to the left. Upstairs was more of a loft with his bed against the wall and a bathroom across from it. It did not take much time to clean; however, Sasuke was so meticulous that cleaning the house could take hours. He did not care as much for the dobe's house, but his own, it was a sanctuary.

Sasuke put on the apron and tied a bandana in his hair. Slipping on his rubber gloves, Sasuke began to clean.

Around two hours later, Sasuke was done cleaning his house and decided it was time to get rid of the filth that was on him.

The ravenette stripped himself of his clothes and placed them in the hamper. He stepped in the shower and turned the water to hot. Sasuke grabbed soap and a washrag, attempting to clean the filth off himself.

It took another half hour before Sasuke was satisfied with his cleanliness. The only problem was he knew he could never get clean. There was something in him that refused to let him be clean. Maybe it was the voice of his father, but he knew better.

Sasuke walked back downstairs and into his little office he made for himself.

He sat back down and began typing away at his keyboard.

Sasuke woke-up with a start. Hair clinging to his face, body shaking, and heaving breaths as he clutched his hand over his chest. He did not even remember what the dream was about, but he knew it shook him to the core.

Without a second wasted, Sasuke felt sick. Putting a hand over his mouth, Sasuke ran to the bathroom and promptly threw-up. With all the pressure, Sasuke had not eaten in two days. He could not stomach anything.

Sasuke got up from the floor near the porcelain throne and flushed the toilet. He grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste, washing his teeth vigorously and taking mouth wash to his mouth.

Sasuke got under the sink and pulled out the bathroom cleaning supplies. Ten minutes later and the bathroom was spotless again. He put everything away and walked towards his bed.

 _2:38? I guess I won't be getting much sleep tonight._ Sasuke had to be up and ready to leave by 5:30 today as his father wanted a private meeting before tonight's dinner.

The meetings usually were an hour long of what work he has done and all the mistakes he made. If Itachi was present, it would be even longer and hold more scolding.

Sasuke did not understand it. Why did his father hate him so much? He did not know what he did to deserve this, but something must have happened. But instead of asking his father now that he was older, he did not do anything because he knew nothing would change.

His father hated him and that was that. Maybe one day, when his father is on his death bed he will tell the youngest son why he was despised for his entire life.

Sasuke had a feeling today was going to be a long day.

"…You need to be clearer, Sasuke," his father sternly said. The two sons sat in front of the CEO of Visintel while the man sat threateningly behind his desk.

"I'm sorry, sir." Sasuke said quietly. "It won't happen again."

Sasuke glared at his youngest. "It better not." He looked at Itachi with a genuine smile on his face. "Good work, Itachi. I am proud of the progress you have made as CFO. You are doing everything perfectly, as expected of my son."

At that, Sauke flinched. How he has longed to be on the receiving end of that comment.

"Thank you, tou-san." Itach bowed his head.

Fugaku went back to glaring at Sasuke and the youngest Uchiha could not help but shrink back into the chair he sat in. "You need to be more like your brother," he hissed. "Now go. The dinner is at 7:30. Be sure to wear a suit and be on your best behavior."

Both Sasuke and Itachi got up from their seats and bowed respectfully to the older Uchiha. They turned and walked out, Itachi in front of him.

"Sasuke," his father called before he left the CEO's office.

"Yes, sir?" Sasuke turned around to face the man.

"Don't embarrass me." With finality, Fugaku looked began looking at the files on his desk.

"Yes, sir." Sasuke closed the door behind him and left towards his office. It was going to be a really long day.

 **Day late, but it's done! I had put up a small information post yesterday and I was not going to post it today, but life is surprising sometimes.**

 **Also, dear readers, I was and am a reader, so if I ever give an A/N, either read it or don't. I just want to give people an update if something they were expecting is not happening until later. I personally like when the author tells me what's going on so I do not have to worry about them as a human being and wondering if they are alright.**

 **Thank you for your patience!**

 **Best regards,**

 **chanyehun**


	6. Chapter 6

Vulnerable Strength

Chapter 6

Naruto POV

Naruto was excited. Tonight was the big night! His father explained that not only was the dinner for building new relations, but it was also an assessment. An assessment where he and the successor to Visintel will be working on the new land together. Although, perhaps the successor is only overseeing the project and someone else is going to be doing the ground work with him.

Regardless, Naruto was curious to meet the people of Visintel. They were almost a monopoly in respects to the tech world. Though the year is 2586, they have made dreams into a reality. It was an honor to work with the company.

Naruto looked up at the ceiling in his office. White upon white, but it almost gave a sense of calm when thinking about meeting these prominent people.

"Well, mother did say first impressions are everything." Naruto got up from his chair and went to the bathroom.

Looking in the mirror, Naruto fixed his tie and smoothed out his shirt. He cleared his throat.

"Good evening, Uchiha-san." Naruto gave a bow. "Thank you for inviting my father and I this evening. Why thank you, Uchiha-san. I do believe I am quite intelligent." Naruto gave a loud laugh in the deserted bathroom.

"What's that? I can call you Ojī-san? Ohoho!" Naruto continued to have his imaginary discussion with the clan-head. Everything seemed to be going smoothly, at least in Naruto's mind, until a beep interrupted him.

"Huh? Oh, shit! I'm going to be late!" Naruto said running out the door of the bathroom.

Two meters later, Naruto came running back. He looked in the mirror once more. Slapping his cheeks and screaming "dattebayo!"

* * *

Sasuke POV

It had been a long day. Sasuke was called non-stop by countless employees and customers, those with problem or complaints. The meeting with his father that morning did not settle right with him all day.

 _Something seemed off._ Whatever it was, Sasuke could not concentrate on it now, he had to work and fix _everyone's_ mistakes. Though Fugaku could essentially run the company single-handedly, he always criticized Sasuke's work despite working his best. On the other hand, Itachi never did his best but still got the praise from their father. It was highly annoying.

Sasuke sighed for the hundredth time that day. He really was getting tired of all the work his father was pushing on him. Would he say anything though? The answer was no.

It was almost time for the dinner party at his father's house. He was usually off by 5pm on Fridays, but today he needed to work up until he needed to leave.

Typically, the parties went until 4am in the morning and would require him to spend the night at his father's house by wishes of his brother. Breakfast and reports of who they all talked to with potential business relations.

Parties were not Sasuke's thing. He already did not like being in crowded areas, but with people attempting to speak with him, it was uncomfortable. He just wanted to hide under a rock all night and wait for all the guests to be gone.

By 7pm, Sasuke was ready to venture to his father's place. The party did not technically start until 8pm, but he needed to greet guests with his father and brother. Not only awkward for him, but for the guests as well since they did not know Fugaku had a second son.

Most everyone knew Sasuke's surname, but they almost _never_ put two and two together.

 _Another night of hell for me_ , Sasuke thought as he walked to the elevator.

 **Sorry this is so short and late! School is starting for me tomorrow and I have been getting moved-in and organized this weekend. Did you know some campuses do not supply wifi in some of their dorms. Very big surprise for me as this is my last year here. Anyways, I finally got internet and am getting a router in a couple days.**

 **Thank you all for your patience. Again, I am sorry this is so short, but I wanted to give you something at least this week.**

 **Maybe I can update another time this week? Or extra long next time? I'll have to see what the writing gods will bless me with over the next couple of days :)**

 **Best regards,**

 **chanyehun**


	7. Chapter 7

Vulnerable Strength

Chapter 7

Sasuke POV

A polite bow, kind smile, firm handshake. Again, and again, and again. Sasuke had been glued to this one spot for over an hour now, but he was unable to get away. His father and brother left some time ago to discuss business plans with shareholders, but he was required to stay put.

"Welcome, Sohma-san." Sasuke did not know even eighty-percent of the guests here, but he was required to learn everyone's names for tonight. Thankfully, his father invited less than two-hundred people this time. Though it was a company dinner, it was mainly for the executives, directors, and their wives.

It was almost eight forty-five, so he should okay to leave his post and finally be able to wash his hands.

It physically hurt to touch these people. Not because _they_ were dirty, but _he_ should not taint these other people with his uncleanliness.

After bidding the new guest a 'see you later,' Sasuke immediately trekked to the bathroom to wash his hands. "I almost want to take a shower." Sasuke dried his hands and rejoined the party.

Dinner was not really dinner. It was more of a banquet, but because the guests care about their image more than their sanity, many did not eat. Instead, they drank and drank. Champagne, wine, and any other fancy drink was being passed around by waiters and waitresses. Fugaku did not believe in having servants, but he did hire services. Much of which were maids, chefs, and two groundkeepers.

Still, he did require Itachi and Sasuke to have chores around the house.

 _"It is discipline." He said. "You have to earn your keep if you want to stay under this roof."_

Sasuke was not sure what his father said to his brother, but it may have been under the same lines.

Sasuke wanted this night to be over already. There was nothing in this world that he hated more than socializing with people that did not respect him.

If his father ever introduced the youngest Uchiha, it was always in a degrading way. Sasuke knew it was his fault that he was not like Itachi, but he did not understand why his father hated him so much. His company prided themselves on diversity, but why can he not do it in his own home? Perhaps it was because the family changed after his mother was gone. Nothing was the same.

Sasuke felt like a robot. Going from person to person. Obeying his father's wishes to be the image of the perfect son, despite being known as the unimportant Uchiha.

* * *

Naruto POV

"Stupid traffic," Naruto mumbled to himself.

"Hey, it's not stupid. It's a natural thing." Minato gave a smile to his son.

"I know." Naruto grumbled. He folded his arms to his chest and sank into his seat more.

They were thirty minutes late for crying out loud! What was worse, his father did not seem to care. The Uchiha's liked punctuality, right?

Minato ruffled his son's hair. "It'll be fine, Naruto. I've met with Uchiha-san multiple times, and I've always been an hour late." Naruto gave a worried glance at his father while the older man laughed like it was the funniest thing he has ever said in his life.

"Dad, you're so unprofessional. How did you become Prime Minister again?"

Minato stopped laughing. He looked at the young blonde. A serious look adorned his face. He leaned in to Naruto's face.

Naruto could not help but lean back from his father a bit. _Why is he serious all of a sudden?_

Minato gave an even bigger smile, if possible, and said, "my charm of course."

Naruto rolled his eyes as his father died of laughter. He loved his father and his seemingly carefree attitude. Minato seemed like an idiot at times, but he was a good guy with a good heart. When it came down to it, his father worked very hard.

It was another good twenty minutes until they arrived at the Uchiha estate. Both men got out of the black car and stood in front of the open main gate.

A fountain greeted them with brick sidewalks. Looking at the house, it could be compared to the White House in Washington D.C.

Naruto's mouth was agape. He had never seen anything like this in Japan. He had visited the White House on official business, but between the press and Secret Service, he could not get a good look at the building.

"It's magnificent, isn't it?" Minato swung an arm around his son's shoulders and pulled him into the building. "Best part about this, it's like an all you can eat buffet!"

Naruto grinned. He had been so hungry these last couple of days. Yes, he had eaten human food, but what good did that do him? Nothing. Nothing at all.

"Let's do this!"

* * *

Sasuke POV

Sasuke walked around and talked to the executives. He was required to talk to most of the people. He already knew their names because of the forced information gathering he had to do a couple days prior. It was a good thing Uchiha's had photographic memory.

About half an hour of doing pleasantries, Sasuke found himself next to his long-time co-worker and lifelong friend, Juugo. Both parties did not talk much, but they understood each other in a way no one else could. Juugo looked at his friend.

Sasuke was getting paler and thinner. Juugo knew the eldest Uchiha did not treat his youngest well, but Sasuke has been dealing with this neglect and abuse for years. He had learned to cope with it years ago, which was surprising. There was no way someone could be used to this, but it seemed Sasuke was for some years. But now, with almost being twenty-one, Sasuke was increasingly stressed and even less talkative.

 _Are you okay?_ Juugo said with his eyes.

 _I'm fine,_ Sasuke replied.

 _You seem different._

 _How so?_

Juugo sighed. Sasuke would not like to be outed. He knew that. Their telepathic conversation ended when Fugaku came towards them.

Sasuke stood up straighter and tensed his whole body.

"Good evening, Juugo-san." Juugo gave a slight bow. "Sasuke, come with me." Sasuke sent a look to his friend and followed his father.

* * *

Naruto POV

Okay, so nothing was going his way. He had planned to meet Uchiha-san immediately and talk with him, but no. They were so late that the eldest Uchiha left and made conversations with others!

Naruto knew he was not the most important person there, but he would have liked to have talked with the clan head first. It was almost ten, so he must be getting prepared for his speech.

Naruto was looking around the room. He needed to socialize, and eat, for his political-business network. Mostly, he wanted to eat.

 _What's that smell? I seem, dark._ Naruto jumped slightly. He looked behind him. A man with white hair looked back at him. An evil smile appeared on his lips.

"Hey, Naruto!" Naruto turned around to see his father. "Come with me. Uchiha-san wants us to meet his family before we all go up to express our gratitude."

Naruto nodded. His father started to walk away, but Naruto turned around once more. The man, of course, was gone. _Is this some kind of stupid movie?_ Naruto huffed and walked followed his father.

Dodging person after person, Naruto and his father finally saw the eldest Uchiha with his son who was talking to another person.

"Prime Minister." Fugaku walked up to Minato and shook his hand.

"Hello, Uchiha-san. This is my son, Naruto."

"Evening, Uchiha-san. Thank you for inviting us to this extravagant event." Naruto bowed.

"No problem at all." Fugaku smiled.

"Otou-san. Oh, good evening Namikaze-san, Uzumaki-san." Fugaku's son bowed. "My name is Uchiha Itachi. It is good to finally meet you." Though the Uchiha smiled, it did not reach his eyes. Actually, the smile did not reach either of their eyes.

"Sasuke, come greet our guests." The shortest man turned around and Naruto's heart stopped.

"You!" Naruto said surprised.

"Yes, otou-san. Good evening, Namikaze-san, Uzumaki-san." Sasuke bowed politely, ignoring Naruto's comment.

"Now, since we've all greeted each other, let's talk about that new land acquisition," Minato said to break the tension.

The eldest of the two clans began discussing business and politics while Naruto stared at Sasuke. How could he have not put two and two together? It was so obvious! Well, considering he looked nothing like his father, Naruto had seen Uchiha Itachi before and they were strikingly similar.

Regardless, Naruto kept staring, wanting to touch the ravenette. He was so, so hungry! Starving almost.

Another fifteen minutes and he suddenly found himself standing at the top of the grand staircase with the Uchiha's and his father.

The two eldest's expressed their gratitude for the guests coming and wished them all to enjoy themselves. Basically, it was a scripted speech Naruto had heard thousands of times already.

Naruto began scanning the crowd instead out of boredom. At the corner of the room, Naruto saw the white-haired man again. This time, however, he was not staring at Naruto, he was staring at Sasuke.

It hit him like a train. _That man is a Degenerate._

 **Sorry this took so long! I really did believe I could keep up with my graduate classes, language classes, work, and responsibilities while writing. I hope this makes up for it! Probably not. But I hope I can find time really soon to update this.**

 **Tell me what you think please! No flames though.**

 **Best,**

 **chanyehun**


	8. Chapter 8

Vulnerable Strength

Chapter 8

Interchanging POV  
Naruto did not hear a word the eldest Uchiha said introducing his father, nor did he hear his father exclaiming how thankful he was to be at the party. No. Naruto could only see one thing. The man with white hair, staring at his handsome neighbor.

Naruto was shocked out of his stupor when the guests began clapping. Unbeknown to Naruto, Sasuke had glanced over worriedly a couple of times. _What's up with the dobe?_ Sasuke thought with a mental eyebrow raised. _He's staring at that white-haired guy, to me, and then back to him._ Yes, Sasuke was confused and slightly worried, but would he go check on his neighbor? Hell no. It is not like he had his own problems to deal with anyways.

The group walked down the grand staircase to the group as the music started to play again. Fugaku hired a simple orchestra to complement the extravagant party. If there was one thing, the clan head loved to flaunt his status, especially when it came to business.

The Uchiha's were a relatively normal family, but with high expectations-and a couple secrets. Many did not know the Uchiha secret unless they were a member of the clan itself; however, a few had snuck into their ranks and stole their secrets, betraying the clan to which the result was death. To any outsider, the clan was nothing more than a wealthy family with a large empire.

Naruto was intimidated with the idea of having to deal with Fugaku Uchiha, but now throw in the mystery man, Naruto was about to make this whole party go down in flames. Instead, he settled for finding the Degenerate.

Naruto stomped around the whole area in hopes of finding the man. His white hair gave everything away. Well, his soulless aura and lack of energy gave it away, but physically, the hair. It was not every day one was to see those low lives with a group of humans in such a well-lit and public place.

Naruto glanced over to the staircase for Sasuke, but Sasuke was not there. He was not anywhere near where he last was. Naruto frantically looked around for the youngest Uchiha, but nothing was catching his eyes, not even the white hair.

Naruto began walking around the ballroom again in hopes to find the raven.

Sasuke watched the idiot blonde leave his sights. _Good riddance._ It was not like Sasuke hated Naruto, on the contrary, he actually liked the noisy politician, but he was making him uncomfortable and if it was one thing Uchiha's did not do, it was show their discomfort in front of anyone, including their own kin.

"What seems to be troubling you, young Uchiha?" Sasuke turned around to face a man. He was tall, had broad shoulders, but his face was not showing.

 _What's with the mask_ , Sasuke thought. "Only the satisfaction of the guests." Sasuke gave a fake smile. "Excuse me, but who are you?"

Sasuke could see the grin hidden underneath the mask and shivered.

"Excuse me for my rudeness. My name is Tsukyo Tarashi." He gave a deep bow. "I am a friend of your fathers. I haven't seen you since you were very young." Tarashi leaned in closer. "I must say, you have grown into a very…delectable, young man."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I see." Giving a bow, Sasuke replied politely, "I am sorry, Tsukyo-san, but I do not remember you. Please excuse my ignorance."

"Not a problem. As I had said before, you were very young. However, if you are worried about guest satisfaction, perhaps you would like to join me on the balcony for a while. To catch up?"

 _I don't even know him! But father would_ kill _me if I did not uphold the Uchiha name in hospitality. Can't argue with that_. Sasuke silently thought as he began walking with the mystery man in tow.

The raven did not want to go with a stranger, he did not even _want_ to be at the stupid company dinner party. It was his father's wish-a man who does not even like him, let alone acknowledge his existence.

No one at the party seemed to be paying any mind to the two people. Nothing was going to stop what was about to happen.

 **Sorry I am so late! Grad classes are kicking my butt!**

 **This is short and I hope you will all like it. I hope to update this weekend, but if I do not, then hopefully once more before the end of my autumn quarter**

 **Best regards,**

 **chanyehun**


	9. Chapter 9

Vulnerable Strength

Chapter 9

Sasuke's POV

Sasuke followed Tsukyo Tarashi onto the balcony. _'What the hell could this guy want?'_ It was a little unnerving, going with a guy he did not know without anyone knowing where he was.

They stopped. Tsukyo-san leaned against the balcony, eyes scanning the world. Sasuke stood behind him.

"What did you need, sir?"

"Have you ever noticed the stars? The way they shine, fall to the earth, and light up the night sky, only to do it all over again?" Sasuke was taken aback.

"Umm… I am not sure what you are saying Tsukyo-san."

"Well, considering the fact that you are, for lack of better words, shining." The white-haired man turned around him. "Perhaps, you need to fall down."

"What does that-" Sasuke was slammed between two walls. There was a pain in his neck. "What are you doing?" Sasuke pushed him away. "Let me go!"

 _'Dirty, so dirty. I please, get away from me.'_ Sasuke couldn't think straight. This man was _touching him_.

"Stop," his voice was getting weaker. "Please." Sasuke's head fell against the man's shoulder, _'stop touching me.'_

* * *

Naruto POV

Naruto was running with his head cut off. What was he going to do? That bastard was the son of his father's main supporter.

"Naruto," came a cold, smooth voice.

Naruto stopped walking and slowly turned around. _Uchiha Itachi_. Naruto bowed politely. "Nice to see you again." Naruto made eye contact and wished he hadn't.

"Like-wise." A pause. "I am assuming you are searching for my brother."

"What? Why would you think that?"

"You were staring at him during our fathers' speech."

"Yes, I am."

"May I ask why?"

Naruto thought about it for a second. He could not tell Itachi that Sasuke was being targeted by a Degenerate-one who drinks blood at that! Who in their right mind would believe him? Especially someone like Itachi. "I just wanted to talk with him, seeing as I am his neighbor and all. I wanted to see if he wanted to split a cab or something," Naruto said, finishing with a shrug.

"Well," Itachi began. "Our father will be keeping him here until tomorrow. We need to regroup and discuss what has happened from the night's events." Cold. No, maybe something else.

"Oh, okay. I still would like to talk with him. I will be leaving first." Naruto bowed and left Itachi.

Soulless. Itachi's eyes were soulless. Naruto shivered again. He tried his best to not touch anyone. Weaving in and out of the crowd, Naruto found himself at the balcony's window. He stepped outside and breathed in fresh air.

The balcony wrapped around the whole of the house, so Naruto began walking. There was no way down to the hedges that he longed to see. The stars were out tonight and the air was a nice temperature.

Naruto could not go back in for another couple of minutes. He needed his head clear to look for that raven haired boy.

"Stop." Naruto heard a weak voice. "Please."

Naruto ran towards the voice. He had a sickening feeling in his stomach that it was Sasuke.

Naruto had better senses than most. The feeling of Sasuke's energy was close-though, he could be anywhere in the vicinity. Still, there was an unmistakable scent of blood. Naruto ran faster.

There was a guy with white hair. Wearing all black, cornering a small man in between two walls-where they could not be seen. Naruto could not move

A groan came from the man. He lifted his head up, "you have no idea how good you taste."

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Naruto yelled.

The man wiped his mouth with his black sleeve. He turned to face Naruto while still covering the man in question. "Well, if it isn't the Prime Ministers son. To what do I owe the honor?" A feral grin was plastered on his face.

"You know you can't do that here. It's against the rules."

"Rules? What rules? Last time I checked there were no rules to _who_ I could," he sighed. "Taste."

There was a thud. Naruto looked behind the white-haired man to see him slumped on the ground. It was Sasuke. He _knew_ it was him. The poor man looked like death.

"No, but not in a public area. I have never known low-lives like you to attack where someone could possibly _see_ your disgusting habit," Naruto sneered.

The man scoffed. "Yes, but you see," looking down, the degenerate grabbed Sasuke's arm and pulled him up. "He just smelled so delicious." Sasuke's head was pulled to the side, exposing his neck. Fangs again at his throat.

Sasuke was barely conscious. Naruto could feel his life force, if he had anymore blood taken out of him, he would die. "Stop! Please, put him down. If you take anymore, he'll die."

"Oh. You _care_ about his well-being," the man teased. Sasuke let out a whimper. "Fine. Maybe I can get another taste." With that, the man pushed Sasuke towards Naruto.

Sasuke fell into Naruto's arms. He was dead weight. Naaruto looked up to glare at the man, but he vanished.

Naruto looked down at the man in his arms. What was he going to do? He couldn't just hold Sasuke and bring him into ball room, bloodied and almost dead.

The only person he knew was his father, but he could not take the Prime Minister from all of the prying eyes.

He looked down at the grass below the balcony. He could jump down there with the Uchiha and take him home. But Sasuke was to spend the night here with his father and brother.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Naruto continued to look at this young man. "He's so cold."

Putting Sasuke down, Naruto draped his jacket over his body. Naruto sighed. If he picked him up again, Naruto worried that he would take his energy that he desperately needed.

Sasuke's breath was labored, but looking closer at his neck, it seemed that he was healed. But, that was impossible. When a degenerate took blood from a human, their wounds _never_ closed.

Just who was Sasuke?

 **Sorry for the hella late update! Senior year at uni is killing me. Along with a job, I am totally booked! Hopefully I can update once a month. Again, I apologize. I never thought reviews would keep me going, but mostly just knowing what reader think about my story will make me happy. This is a shortish chapter and moved really fast, but I feel that I owe you all to go a little faster.**


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